Hi Gabe, We have a lot in common. I have been writing poems about animals for years. Your “Know Them Through Poems” title caught my eye in a Google search. I call my poems, I Am Animal Rhymes. I am a teacher, puppet designer and curriculum writer and tie all these into my poetry. So, like you, I try to teach facts about the creature I’m writing about, but try to bring some humor and lesson. I have bookmarked you blog site. Attached is a copy of my Snake Rhyme I thought you would enjoy.
I AM A SNAKE
I’m a reptile, the often feared snake!
It’s no secret that I make people shake!
Is it the way my species move around?
Slithering and sliding without a sound.
We don’t have arms or legs like mankind
So we crawl, inch, loop and side-wind.
Is it because we can live anywhere?
Our numbers alone should cause a scare!
All over the world, snakes do thrive,
We adapt and evolve to stay alive
In deserts, oceans, on the grassy plains,
In trees, on the ground, and in bathroom drains!
Maybe our beady eyes creep you out,
We don’t blink; it’s that stare no doubt!
We don’t have eyelids, just a clear cap,
They’re always open during sleep or a nap!
Maybe it’s our forked tongue with its flicking action.
That’s simply our environmental interaction,
We don’t smell with our nostrils, our eyes don’t see well,
Our tongue doesn’t taste, but it can feel and smell.
Is it because our skin looks so slimy?
Really, it’s smooth, dry and just shiny.
Our bodies are covered with scales and plates,
That protect, help us move and decorate!
Perhaps it’s the fact that we never stop growing,
There’s a lot of fear in the “unknowing”,
We even outgrow our very own skin,
Sloughing it whole, leaving the outside in.
Or is it the “sixth sense” we possess?
Increasing our stalking and hunting success,
As we can detect a slight temperature change
As unsuspecting prey come into range!
Hopefully it’s a rodent, a frog or a bird,
Some eggs or a fish, but meat is preferred.
Some of us have hollow, sharp teeth called fangs,
They are meant to give you fearful pangs,
And deliver a saliva-like liquid called venom
Which weakens, paralyzes, and even can kill some!
If that doesn’t wow you, check out our jaw,
It opens so wide, it will leave you in awe!
It’s designed to stretch in four directions,
Giving our victims no time for objections!
Our teeth hook prey quickly; we don’t use them to chew,
Then our muscular body moves the meal through,
We swallow prey whole, ALIVE or dead,
It can be three times the size of our head!
The thought of that, even makes ME shudder,
Because we’ve been known to eat one another!
✦✦✦
This poem was meant to teach, not scare,
When it comes to snakes, you must be aware!
So one more thing to learn about us,
Is we’re mostly harmless, not venomous.
If by some chance, a snake enters your space,
I’m sure it feels equally out of place,
Don’t panic, step back, have a healthy fear,
Leave it be, get smart help, as it’s perfectly clear,
In eco-systems, it’s important to know –
Snakes play a very valuable role!

Hi! I teach and I do a poetry palooza with my students. I would love to use some of these poems with my kids, but I can’t find the author names, and I want to make sure to give credit to the poets. Can you help me out? Thanks!